Core Pride
by LauraTeri
Summary: When Brave Vesperia try to make a new start, will Yuri's past come to haunt them? Will pride be held onto or discarded for love, hope and loss? Will new friends be made and new enemies be beaten? Post-game unless stated, original characters, possibly OOC, very possible YurixHisca (if so, fluff - because T rating).
1. Mother

**Chapter 1 - **_**Mother**_

It was late Autumn.

The trees were waving their branches in the cold winds and their darkened leaves were falling down swiftly to the ground. The sky was an unclear grey, though it shown no signs of rain. Along with his friends, who were fellow members of Brave Vesperia, Yuri sat on the field of grass. However, unlike his usual self, dropping sarcasm and ideas everywhere, he sat in an unusual parade of silence and wasn't paying attention to anything Karol was saying unintentionally.

"YURI!" shouted Karol finally catching Yuri's wandering attention. Yuri's dead, silent eyes were restored to life as he pulled a rather panicked expression

"W-what?" asked Yuri, unaware of why he was being shouted at. Judith raised her eyebrow.

"Basically, we need to lay our ground! We need somekind of headquarter for Brave Vesperia!" yelled Karol after moaning at Yuri's ignorance, returning to his previous state of excitement.

"Oh...What about Dahngrest?" Judith suggested.

"Considering the amount of Guilds in Dahngrest, I would say we should look around outside first," replied Yuri. "But it's all what the boss wants."

Yuri and the krityan turned to Karol, who began to look pressured. "Erm...I-I think we should try Yuri's idea," Karol's eyes began to shine. "Actually, I heard about this small city, north of Zaphias, not so far back. I think it was called Instarterra and it claimed to be 'The City of Equality'. It's run by the Empire, but I've been told the Empire and the Guilds have made a truce of somekind there."

"'The City of Equality', huh?" Judith whispered to herself. "And what do you mean by 'truce'?"

"I heard that the current magistrate has set up some kind of independent government there which uses the power of the Imperial Knights and the Union. It's the one of the only places where the Empire and the Union work together and it's still pretty infamous," Karol answered.

"But why would they work together?" asked Judith, in an attempt to catch Karol out by overloading him with questions.

"They call it 'Common Interest'. My friend who used to be apart of one of the guilds stationed there. He told me about it, but he never told me exactly what this 'Common Interest' was," Karol stated as he began to try and recall if his friend had told him this.

"So, this friend, is he like you? Constantly getting kicked out of guilds?" smirked Judith.

"K-knock it off will you, Judith!" the young guildsman got defensive. "He didn't like it because he thought it was too quiet. So he quit. I heard rumors that he joined the Hunting Blades not so long ago. That's all."

Karol and Judith continued to bicker with each other for another ten minutes before Yuri sighed to himself and stood up.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go," said Yuri, as he began walking off by himself. Repede barked in agreement as he hurried alongside his master. Karol and Judith exchanged faces of worry before heading off to catch up with their purple-haired friend.

"'Equality'?" Yuri scoffed under his breath and smiled, "It sounds like something that _he_ would come up with."

Once the sun began to set, the leader and his followers decided to set camp just south of the capital. Yuri just sat on a hilltop near the make-shift camp and stared at the stars before closing his eyes and falling into the grass. "I really do...hate winter more than anything..," he muttered to himself before opening his eyes again. He smiled, "damn it."

"Hey Judy. I think something's up with Yuri," stated a worried Karol, throwing surrounding twigs and branches into the campfire.

"Well, we can't really do anything for him if he keeps it to himself, can we?" sighed Judith, finally sitting down. "I'm pretty sure even guys like Yuri has things that he wants to keep to himself".

"I know, but..," Karol began to look disheartened. "I just wish he'd realize how much we're worrying here!" He looked at the Krityan to show how his eyes full of worry and anger. "We're his friends - his partners, aren't we? If he has anything that's bugging him, then he should tell us! Even if it's something that only he can solve."

Judith just gave out a slight chuckle in response to Karol, admitting defeat. Before looking him in the eye, silently telling him to "shut up" as Yuri was now in full sight and headed towards the camp in their direction. He pulled a slightly panicked look as to why both Karol and Judith were staring at him and stopped in his tracks for a second before continuing and sitting down next to his loyal pet to be briefed by the boss on what was planned for the next day.

"Hmm...First, we'll head to Zaphias to get supplies -" Karol started.

"You might as well admit it. You just want to visit Estelle, don't you?" Judith butted in, seeing through Karol's plan. "You're worse than Rita when it comes to this."

"No! I was just thinking it might be best if we resupply on some gels and stuff," denied Karol, blushing and looking away. "Hey, Yuri. What do you think we should do?"

"I'm with the boss on this one. I...Have something that I need to attend to...In Zaphias," Yuri said, trying to mask his supposed plans.

"Okay, okay. We'll stop in Zaphias on the way to visit Princess and do whatever we need to do before continuing," Judith admited defeat.

Karol continued, "Then we'll head over to Instarterra, book our rooms at the inn and then talk with the guilds there!"

"I think talking with the Magistrate would also be a good idea," Judith stated.

After finalizing their plans for the next day, everyone decided that they should be going to sleep early so that they would be able to fit everything into their timetable.

Even an hour after Judith and Karol had fallen asleep, Yuri continued to mutter random things that crossed his mind to his canine friend, who whined or sighed in reply.

The former knight looked back on his twenty one years of life and the things and people he could remember from his childhood. Although most of his childhood memories were made with the Scifo family, he had hidden the memories he had of his own parents. Though, he would sometimes recall them from time to time. The only living creature Yuri had shared these memories with was Repede because in a way, he found that they were similar. Not even Flynn knew how much he could remember before meeting him. "Hey, Repede. I wonder...if I can go back there again," Yuri looked to his companion to his side. His eyes looked dead, as if he had finished crying. But Yuri had already done that. It was like he was unable to cry about it anymore, despite the fact he wasn't totally over his past. That's why he always looked forward to the next day, so he could live, be with his friends and experience new things. Something his mother wasn't able to do.

"I know it sounds stupid and all but...considering Mother died when she was 23, it makes me wonder how long I have left," he whispered to his partner before looking up into the sky. He had always continued to repeat that one phrase to himself since he was old enough to remember and wouldn't let go of it. Yuri-Scared-Of-The-Future-Lowell. If any of his friends knew, they'd surely laugh. He was used to masking his emotions. When he was upset, he'd force a smile. His mother would do the same. "Well, I'm going to have to face it tomorrow," Yuri sighed before going to sleep. "Thanks again, Repede".

* * *

_So that was my attempt. It might be very OCC but don't kill me, please. I'm trying to force myself out this stupid writer's block. I'll get out it eventually. Hopefully xD I'm doing my best though :')_


	2. Untold Feelings and Truths

**Chapter 1.5 - **_**Untold Feelings and Truths**_

It was times like this that she wondered how he was. After quitting the Imperial Knights, all she could do was worry about him. Then all he did was create trouble here and there, before finally murdering a magistrate and a captain for all his crimes to be forgiven by both candidates for the Royal throne. And now, she didn't know where he was, what he was doing or what trouble he was making. It made her feelings contradict by giving her both a sense of ease and panic and she hated it. But, wasn't that how you would think about a friend? Constantly worrying if they're okay but feeling happy that they hadn't done anything bad? She had no clue.

"Yuri, you moron," she sighed before finally looking up into the starry sky. She hated having to do the night-shift, but in another way she loved it. She could just relax and think about things which she wouldn't usually have time to think about. For instance, Yuri. Though, there were times where she'd remember things that she just didn't want to think about, like when Yuri was forced to slay Lambert. Like when the blood of her former ally that covered her and the blood that even to this very day she would see covering herself at random points in time, though she had recently begun to ignore it. It was peaceful with exception of a couple of drunkards, who were mainly from the guilds who had settled in the small city she was stationed in after Shizontania, Instarterra, but they were easy to deal with concidering she knew the majority anyway because of community meetings and such that were set up by the magistrate to "promote equality and common interests" or whatever it was.

That damned 38-year-old magistrate who acted like a child except whenever his past was brought up. Or whenever the name "Yuri" came up in conversation, which was a common subject amongst the guilds due to the rising popularity of the "Brave Vesperia". No one even knew the magistrate's real surname, the main fault with his surname was that he had 3. A triple-barreled surname. What made it more of a mystery was that triple-barreled surnames weren't even common. Even amongst the nobles. Something just wasn't right about him.

"Well, isn't it Miss Aiheap?" a voice wondered through the darkness.

The fiery haired captain stood up from the bench she was sitting on, "well, it's rare to see you out this late."

"I suppose I just needed some air to clear my head. And then I kept running into a drunk Ashkae, which isn't what I need right now" replied the masculine voice.

"Well, that isn't really a surprise. How does she even afford to drink that much?" the captain wondered, sighing deeply.

"Beats me. Anyway, I better get back. Good night," the voice said before his figure began to walk back in the direction it came from.

"Good night, Mr Magistrate."


	3. I'm back

**Chapter 2 ****–**_**I'm back**_

After half-an-hour of heading north, Brave Vesperia finally reached the Imperial Capital, Zaphias. The four were greeted as if they were nobility amongst the civilians as they walked through the middle-class entrance into the city, people began to cheer and everyone turned around to look. The famous guild, Brave Vesperia was known to have taken commissions from Lady Estellise, they were known to have saved the world, helped create a new village and work with the Imperial Knights. Everyone knew them and even children had set their hearts on one day, becoming a member. And of course, Yuri Lowell was one of the most iconic images set to match the group. Former knight, turned vigilante, turned hero.

After making it through the crowds of people, the group decided to take a rest before doing anything else. Zaphias looked as new as ever - even the Lower Quarter had acquired more luxuries than ever before. And even though Yuri had started to sense a strange feeling, he just accepted it within himself and felt happier that the calls of the Lower Quarter had finally heard. However, just because Estelle, Ioder and a couple of other nobles actually saw that people that were poorer than them were normal doesn't mean that every noble did. The majority of the Knights still seemed stuck up despite Flynn's efforts as current commandant and it was these kinds of people that Yuri detested the most. That's why he did so much bad stuff in which he ended up in the cells for 10 days each time. To be heard against the people who didn't want to know.

"YU~RI! Wake up!" before he knew it, the guild's leader stood in front of the daydreamer, waving his hand in full view to get his attention. "We're off to see Estelle now! Come on!"

Yuri blinked several times, wondering about what had just happened before sighing in agreement and walked behind the rest of his team with his loyal sidekick by his side.

After staying silent enough to let Karol and Judith pretend he wasn't there, the former knight and his trusty canine companion decided to make their escape by slowing down and fading into the crowd, before standing in a back alley way and waiting for a couple of moments to pass. He knew Karol would lecture him on 'how they need to stay together at all times because they didn't know what was going to happen' again, but he needed to go and get this little errand over with otherwise he wouldn't be able to stop think about her.

Before he went, he needed flowers. Purple carnations to be exact. Unfortunately purple carnations were uncommon in Illycia and were extremely expensive if so. However, Yuri had been saving up for them through his share of the money of which Brave Vesperia get through commissions. As he wondered back from where he had come, he began to wonder where he should buy them. He listed every flower shop and market stall in his mind, many he had visited when he was running errands for Hanks or trying to suck up to the Inn keeper of whom took him in after he had nowhere else to go. He was lost in his trail of thought until he almost walked into a building. He just sighed heavily, rebuilt himself and looked back up at the building.

It was a shop. The building work seemed fairly new and it seemed rather quiet, even on the outside. It was a flower shop. Stopping dead in his tracks, Yuri looked into the window. Flowers covered almost every section of the room. The names of the plants were written on cards in black ink. There seemed to be all kinds of things scattered across the room. The one thing it lacked was people. Yuri gave into himself and opened the door.

The place was full of flowers, all different colours, all different kinds. He knew he had to get some kind of attention to actually find what he was seeking but it seemed a little difficult as it didn't look like anyone was there. Even so, he decided to look around. Only if his friends could see him now, they'd be laughing for sure - especially Flynn. Yuri Lowell: criminal, known for murdering to magistrates and captains, in a cutesy flower shop. It's not something that you saw every day. Yuri pushed this thought to the back of his mind and tried to ignore it as he walked around the flowers, checking what type they are and how much they would be sold for.

"Thank you for this!" exclaimed a happy sounding customer, coming from the back of the shop with the owner. The customer came into full view at long last with the owner. The customer was a woman who wore her long, shiny brown hair in a ponytail which was secured by a small piece of white ribbon. Despite her generally normal clothes, she wore a silver necklace with a unique pendant. It was a circle with a roughly drawn cross going through the middle. Looking at the pendant's design, Yuri's continuation into his past grew deeper. He knew it from somewhere. But where? The woman also looked slightly familiar. He stared briefly into space for a moment.

"Ex-excuse me, may I help you with anything?" asked the shopkeeper, dragging the vigilante out of his sudden trance. He was just as tall as Yuri himself, he had jet black hair, rectangular glasses and wore a simple but perfect smile. He wore a standard florist uniform; a blue shirt, dark trousers and a cream-coloured apron. He's not someone Yuri would have recognized and he seemed relatively normal but he didn't seem recognize Yuri. This however did make the purple haired guildsman feel slightly happier and much more relieved.

"I'm wondering if I can have a bunch of carnations. Purple carnations…" Yuri wondered off, blushing slightly.

"We've just got some more in stock, actually. That woman who came in before you brought some as well," the shopkeeper stated, chuckling slightly after he did so. Yuri followed him as he walked back to the back of the shop, allowing Yuri to enter the long curtain which separated the parts of the flower shop. The shopkeeper quickly scanned the crates before finally finding the one he was looking for. "Here we go!" he said to himself, crouching down to sort out the correct amount of flowers needed for this bunch. The guildsman stood silently, observing the florist and his actions.

"You…You're Yuri Lowell, aren't you?" the florist asked, continuing with his work. Yuri was left speechless. "I thought you were," he chuckled. "You know, you're a little like a local celebrity. Everyone, even though they won't admit it, looks up to you in a certain respect."

Yuri continued his state of speechlessness, not being able to reply but also not wanting to. "And out of the blue, _the_ Yuri Lowell comes to my shop and asks for purple carnations. Isn't this something to tell the kids, eh." The shopkeeper continued as he stood up with a purple bunch in his hand. He walked past the vigilante and signaled him to follow on as he returned to the main part of the shop through the curtain. The florist finally settled behind the counter, wrapping the bunch with lilac tissue before finishing the decoration with a small violet ribbon.

"That'll be 200 gald," insisted the shopkeeper by holding out his hand. Yuri obeyed silently and handed over a small bag of coins. And with that, Yuri left.

"I hate those people. They seem all nice at first, but I'd rather everyone just forget who I am," Yuri complained to his canine companion as he walked down the now, less crowded streets before letting out a huge sigh. "So where was it again…?"

After several wrong turning and dead ends, he had finally found his destination, Zaphias Shrine. It looked old, but not as rundown as people may describe it. He looked up at the ancient shrine, which to him was full of happy memories. On the shrine grounds, there were several patches of free, unused land before it collided with the shrine's graveyard. Originally, the graveyard was only used for the shrine owner's family members and such, but due to a recent demand for more land for graves, an order received directly from the council of Zaphias, everyone and anyone was buried there. Of course, the family living at the shrine did everything they could to keep a secured space of land for their ancestors, relatives and friends to be peacefully placed to rest.

Yuri walked up the path which headed to the shrine's graveyard, carrying his sword in this hand and the flowers over his shoulder. Repede continued to follow his master gleefully. Yuri had gotten used to this. Every year since he turned 17 he would do the same; he would walk up to his mother's grave, pay his respects and then he would return home as if nothing had happened. But this would hurt him more than any injury or scar he had ever had, even when he adventured with Brave Vesperia. On every gate, there was a plate which was inscribed in some kind of ancient writing, one that Yuri had seen before but had forgotten over time. Eventually he found it.

_Amelia Lowell_

_Age 23_

_A wonderful mother, daughter and wife._

The dates of her birth and death were also present but were much more unreadable despite the grave itself being only 15 years old. That's what made Yuri have the courage to stand up for himself, because his mother never did. Although she ignored the comments and rumors spread about her, she never stood up for herself and never made it so that the truth was known.

Yuri looked up at the grave and put the flowers by the headstone, "I'm back."


	4. Lies, Friendship and Family

**Chapter 3 – **_**Lies, Friendship and Family**_

_"Don-Don't blame your father, Yuri. Don't put this against him...Just believe in him. And watch over Luka… I-I'm sorry, Yuri. My...precious Yuri."_

Yuri sighed. His mind kept on playing his mother's last words which were practically begging for him to forgive and believe in his father. Only days after his mother's death, rumors began to surface that his father had been murdered in military action in the Great War. Since the age of 6, Yuri had been alone. Even when he was with Flynn, Estelle, Rita, Karol, Judith or Raven, there was always apart of himself that had always been empty since he could remember. Despite the fact that he barely saw his father on a regular basis since he was 4 years old, Yuri had never felt that way. Not until everything he ever had was taken away from him. Not until he had to live for himself and himself only.

Repede whined by his master's side, allowing Yuri to pull himself back into reality. Looking down, he noticed several bunches of flowers in addition to his own, two of which were also purple carnations. Feeling a little curious, the purple-haired vigilante read the small pieces of card which included a small message from the people who gave them. He picked up the first bunch and after examining them carefully, he read the message.

_Dear sister, it's been a long time since I've had enough courage to do this._

_I mean, it feels like only yesterday that you alive, healthy and happy. And to think that now you've gone from this world. Please continue to watch over us and please continue to guide us._

_Love your younger sister, Alorna xxx_

Yuri stood silent for a couple of moments, his eyes were staring at the name "Alorna" and his mind was in a state of concentration. He recognised the name, but it took a while for him to put a face to this name. After his mind finally caught up with him, the vigilante began to remember this Alorna. Alorna was his mother's youngest sister and Yuri's youngest aunt as she was only 10 years old at the time he was born which would make her 31 years old in the current day. And due to this small age difference and due to his always existent charm, Yuri actually referred to his Aunt Alorna as his 'Older sister'. The daydreamer chuckled at the nostalgic memories that came flooding back to him. He carefully put the card with the message back in with the flowers before setting them down of where they were previously before picking up the next bunch.

The next bunch of flowers looked slightly bigger and more expensive in comparison to Yuri's or his aunt's. There was also a small piece of lilac coloured ribbon around the bottom of the stems which kept them together as a bunch. Yuri decided to ignore these small details before continuing and reading the small card with a neatly written message on the back.

_To my dear wife, Amelia,_

_To think that I've been without you for just over 15 years, even now it's hard to believe. And even though I wasn't there when you needed me...No, when you and my two beloved children needed me most, it makes me wonder why your life was taken and not mine. I still haven't even begun to fulfil those promises I made to you, despite my many attempts. Keep watching over me and please continue to watch over our children, though that might already go without saying. Despite of how you may have felt towards me in your final days or even beyond the grave, my feelings for you have never changed and never will. I love you._

_With love from your husband, Randolf_

Yuri's eyes widened with shock, his mouth began to open slightly yet slowly, and the flowers literally fell out of his hand back onto the pile of colourful flowers. He didn't believe it. He didn't_ want _to believe it.

Randolf was the name of Yuri's apparently deceased father and Amelia's apparently deceased husband. Did that mean that all this time, he was alive? Did that mean that his father just abandoned him after his mother's death? Did that mean that he couldn't be bothered to go to his own dead wife's funeral? Three emotions hit Yuri after beginning to think about this matter; anger, sadness and confusion.

The purple-haired hero stood there in the same spot as before, but his arms lowered and he lowered his head, allowing his violet-hair to hide his expression. Whether he was crying or not, even Yuri himself was unsure of what he was doing. The only thing that seemed to bring comfort to Yuri's mind was the sounds of whining coming from his companion, obviously being able to figure out his master's mood. "Why...?"

For the next hour after finding out that his son-of-a-bitch father was still alive and well, Yuri went outside the city and found a nice piece of field with a tree. This is what Yuri did whenever he encountered a problem, whether it was mentally or physically. He would just lie underneath a tree and on several occasions, he would even fall asleep which usually concluded with Karol, the Innkeeper or Flynn finding him and scolding him for running off elsewhere. But this time was different in his mind. "Even though Mother's dying wish was for me to forgive and live aside him...Is that even possible?" Yuri muttered to himself with his hand draped over his eyes, protecting them from the autumn sun.

After he tried to think his thoughts through for an hour, with no success he decided to distract himself. He decided to finally catch up with Karol and Judith and began to dread his 'punishment' for which Karol was yet to bring upon him. For now, Yuri had made the decision to push his father's existence to the back of his mind so it wouldn't affect people like Karol and Judith who had nothing to do in the matter. He wouldn't want them to worry about him more than they were already doing about his current behaviour. He could see their worried states of mind and it's not like he could do anything about it. Even in the past when he had done this, Flynn was exactly the same. Yuri could tell they wanted to say something, but considering they hadn't actually said anything, he just decided to say nothing on his side as well.

Both he and his loyal pet began to venture back into the city to finally face the guild leader and to finally be given his 'punishment' for not staying with the rest of the group to see Estelle and Flynn. Well, he needed to get his little visit over and done with as soon as he could because like every other year, just remembering her made Yuri mentally weak and it made him feel as if he was about to break. But it's not like he could tell them how he felt about everything. Even though they were his friends, it was just something he wanted to keep to himself - even if was just for a little while longer. He actually didn't know what made him so reserved when it came to the subject of his family, but it was if something inside of him was begging him to keep secrecy. He loved his friends, he honestly did but he just couldn't find it within himself to share his problems.

Yuri walked back into the city and decided to settle down by the fountain for a moment. The busy Zaphias crowds had gone down by the time he had returned to the city as opposed to how it had been before he left to leave his affections. He tried to push his discovery to the back of his mind, even if it was just until he was alone again because after all, he didn't want to force his personal problems onto his friends. Especially people like Karol who may not even understand because although he couldn't help it, Karol was still a child and just wouldn't understand the situation. He sighed and looked down into his lap before closing his eyes for a couple of seconds. These thoughts were cut when he heard footsteps in front of him, walking in his direction.

The purple-haired custodian looked up to see his friends, all together as a group, looking at him with slightly worried expressions tied to their faces with the exception of Karol who's expression both held elements of a worried expression and an angry expression. Judith broke the silence, "so, did you do what you needed to?"

"Yeah...I'm 200 gald down though," Yuri tried to change the conversation slightly before putting on a fake smile. He nodded over in Estelle, Rita, Raven and Flynn's expression, "It's nice to see you guys again."

Estelle seemed to catch the bait and her worried face turned into a smile but Rita, Raven and Flynn just looked over in Yuri's direction before creating a hypothesis of what was happening. Karol and Judith had obviously been talking about his recent behaviour with his other four friends behind his back, which didn't really seem to annoy Yuri as much as he thought it would. This was his problem.

Maybe everyone was encouraging him to share his feelings and the things that he had originally hid from them (such as the murders of Ragou and Cumore, in which Flynn, being Flynn, brought his flaws to light) but this was one thing that he didn't want to share and couldn't share, after all – it was a very touchy subject. Even if he wanted to talk about it, no matter how much blackmail Flynn could use, his voice refused to project. Also knowing Flynn, he probably had already read his personal file anyway. Yuri had previously chuckled slightly at that idea, but his best friend was over protective to the point where he would have.

After keeping up his acting with his friends, Brave Vesperia finally began to head to Instarterra just before noon. His teammates with the exception of Repede began to watch him closely for the whole half-hour journey to the heard of city. And even though they were watching him, they did nothing to hide it and the atmosphere in which they stood became extremely heavy and awkward. Karol, after a while of pressuring Yuri silently with help from Judith, broke the silence.

"Rita told me that the magistrate of Instarterra is widely known in the blastia industry!" the young guildsman stated, sounding excited about this new adventure. "And then after talking with Raven, I found out that he is known and respected by the Union!"

"Nice findings there, Boss," replied a slightly less pressured Yuri much to Karol and Judith's surprise.

Judith had noticed something about Yuri that Karol didn't catch. Despite stating that he had not actually gone to the city before, he knew his way perfectly. And it didn't seem like instinct either. It was if as Yuri actually knew where he was going, differing himself from his friends who were just walking along. This, unlike many things, actually started eat at the krityan despite her knowing that Yuri needs his own space to sort whatever he needs done, out. She muttered to herself, "weird."

* * *

**Author's Note**: TADA! And after rewriting this chapter because it keeps on refusing to save (it's like…the "cursed chapter") and at more than 3 times at that (I cried) – I have finally finished this chapter. I'm sorry if it's low quality compared to the others, I might even rewrite this at a later date, but I just want this DONE.

Also, thank you to those who have reviewed this, again this was just something to kill my writer's block, but your comments have actually made me more confident within my creative writing and whenever I have a bad day, I just go to look at them. Also before I upload anything, I let my friends at school (Sophie and Vicky) read the chapters I've written and they've given this chapter their blessing (and Vicky never reads). Once again, thank you and sorry ^^;


	5. My friend

**Chapter 4 – _My friend_**_**  
**_

It took Brave Vesperia only half-an-hour to reach their destination.

During the journey, the haunting, heavy aura which surrounded Yuri continued to grow and despite Karol's attempts at making conversation, the aura always seemed to grow rapidly. Whereas Karol began to worry about his friend, Judith began to suspect him. It seemed like he knew his way to this city perfectly despite that this, apparently, was his first visit to the city and it seemed a little more than instinct. Although it was just a hunch, it just didn't seem right at all.

After making their way through the forest which lay between both the towns, the quartet had finally reached the city of Instarterra, the self-proclaimed 'City of Equality'. Upon seeing the town's barriers, the awkward atmosphere that surrounded the group had been instantly thinned. Even the strength of the aura which grasped onto Yuri was very slightly reduced. Instead, it was replaced with a small sense of relief.

Yuri hadn't forgotten about the news he had found out a couple of hours back, but he knew that there was a very small chance that his father would appear in front of him. There were millions, if not billions of people on Terca Lumireis, so that would give him 1 of a several billion chance in meeting him by chance. Since setting his eyes on his and his friend's destination, his mood had changed slightly. The vigilante knew that his Krityan companion was studying him and his behavior as they were travelling to the city and he also knew that Karol was just too young to even observe his behavior or to even understand it – Or, that was just typical Karol. Ironically at that exact moment, Karol broke the less awkward silence.

"Last one into the city has to do the paperwork for the Union!" the young guildsman shouted to his friends as he raced off down the bridge with Repede running by his side. Yuri and Judith glanced at each other, seeming unimpressed before racing off after him.

* * *

"Bu-but I – I don't know how to even fill in paperwork!"

Karol leaned against a stone wall which was just inside of the city, panting heavily. His friends snickered at all of his excuses for not winning the race of which he set the rules down for. Judith reminded him that a rule is a rule before all three of them began to walk deeper into the city.

Children, in despite of age, gender, race and social status played together in the busy streets. People that seemed to be from guilds were talking with the Instarterrian knights and both parties seemed to respect each other. The townspeople also didn't seem to be scared or intimidated by the presence of the guilds or the knights which was always the case back in Zaphias. As he looked around with his friends, he began to notice how much of a paradise this began to seem. It was a paradise which was full of equality. It was a paradise that Yuri had waited eternity and a day for and this paradise was only and forever had been a couple of miles away.

As the members of Brave Vesperia walked through the town, the aura of which had previously hung onto Yuri had begun to disappear completely. The thoughts of his now alive and well father that had taken over his mind had now been pushed away and ignored. Until this peace was cut short.

"YURI LOWELL, YOU STUPID MORON!"

Someone's fist collided with Yuri's face and because it occurred so fast, the vigilante had lost his balance and fell onto the hard, concrete ground. Due to the collision of his head and the ground, his vision became blurry for a couple of seconds. He then looked up to find a familiar person looking down on him.

Karol was stunned and his mind was in a state of utter confusion. Judith just didn't react and in such a way as if someone attacking her friend out of the blue was completely normal. All three of them looked up at the attacker. The attacker in question had red hair, of which was tied up in a ponytail. She also wore a female's Imperial Knight Captain Uniform. Without a doubt, Yuri knew who she was.

"I understand you're a little pissed off with me, but seriously Hisca," the victim addressed his attacker, leaning up slightly. "I suppose I should congratulate you on your promotion."

"A _little_? Heck, I'm majorly pissed off with you," Hisca replied, putting her hands on her hips before looking away from Yuri. "And thank you."

Karol's eye twitched as his state of confusion continued. Repede, however did something that he would only do towards his master; he walked up to the Hisca and sat down by her leg before looking up with those eyes that he only gave Yuri. "Repede!" she happily exclaimed, bending down so she could stroke his purple fur. "He's really grown up to look like Lambert…" her voice trailed off, instantly realizing what she had said in front of Yuri who lowered his head slightly in response.

The other two members of Brave Vesperia who witnessed the attack signaled for their companion to introduce the Captain that just assaulted him. Before doing so of course, the vigilante pulled himself from the ground and gestured towards Hisca. "This is Captain Hisca Aiheap. She and I were partnered together when me and Flynn first joined the Knights – Though, she wasn't a captain back then."

"You must be these friends that Yuri is apparently driving crazy," she muttered before raising her voice and saluting. "It's a pleasure to meet both of you."

"I'm Karol Capel, leader of Brave Vesperia!" the young guildsman exclaimed while puffing his chest out and crossing his arms, making him seem brave and boastful.

"So I've heard," replied the captain before shaking hands with Karol.

"I'm Judith; but everyone calls me 'Judy'," the krityan stated before also shaking the captain's hand.

Karol raised his eyebrow for a moment before jumping the gun and asking a question which made Judith smirk. "Are you two –"

"No!" Yuri and Hisca shouted in unity, cutting off Karol as both their faces went as red as Hisca's hair.

"I just thought –"

"Well, no offense to Yuri and all," she denied with a blush still on her face and nodded to her former partner before continuing. "But, I would never go there. Plus I'm a year older than him and that'd be really creepy and embarrassing. And then –"

As the captain was trying to explain her points, the radio which was attached to her uniform's belt began to sound. "Captain Aiheap, please come in, over."

After fiddling around with her belt to get the radio off, she raised it to her mouth, pressed a button and began to speak. "I hear you loud and clear, over."

The person of whom Hisca was talking to on her radio instantly replied. "May I ask the location points of your current station? Over."

"Hmmm…I'm currently between location points 24.56 and 26.48. May I ask why my location points were asked for? Over."

"Several members of Vatra Eskadra just reported that they had caught a middle-aged man who has been suspected of committing mass murder in Zaphias; the suspect then retaliated and escaped by heading north. Two members of the guild have sustained minor injuries. Since he might head in your direction, please keep watch, over."

"Typical!" she sighed. "If I see anything, I'll report it, over."

She turned around to find the trio looking at her with confused expressions on their faces. Realizing this, she had to tell them what Instarterra was about without putting them off. After all, there was never a guild in which came to the city, who hadn't considered staying to work there. Usually, the guilds that had asked to be hired would quit after only a week or so because one of several reasons including; "It's too quiet!" or "we've got nothing to do!" or "I didn't like working with the knights".

Deciding to tell them, she made them follow her to a couple of benches that were in still in view of the fountain in the middle of the city. As she did so, there were mutters of "are they a new guild?" coming from a group of people huddled together just outside of an alleyway. Hisca just decided to ignore it and was thinking how, in the couple of seconds that she had left, to describe the city in which she worked. After they all settled down, she began to speak.

"Basically, Instarterra has its own separate government in comparison to most cities that are even slightly connected to the Empire, but it just decides to follow the majority of the Empire's laws. It's also one of the places even slightly connected to the Empire that use the power of the Union as well as the Imperial Knights. It's apparently always been this way; even before the current magistrate took over which was about…10 years ago? I'm not completely sure but that's what I've heard.

"This city is even better off than Zaphias. We have a larger economy here because of trade from the guilds, the citizens and the knights and because lots of criminals that have escaped from Zaphias come here, we go after them and get the reward money which is usually split several ways. But the point is that no one here is so poor they can't afford the essentials that they need, and if that ever happens – the magistrate loans out the money to pay for the things that they can't. Everyone here is equal – even the guilds that are stationed here are treated with an equal amount of respect as the knights and then we don't look at things via social status.

"I know I'm talking about the magistrate a lot here, but I suppose you could say he was discriminated because of the things he had done in the past, his regrets and his social status as noble. The previous magistrates had similar ideals and it's because of those ideas of peace and equality that we are allowed to live in this city like this. It sounds kind of cheesy, but if I had to describe it – with the exception of a couple of things – it's like a paradise," Hisca ended her speech on that note.

As the captain was speaking, Karol's face elevated with joy. As soon as she finished her speech, the guild leader immediately asked, "how can we be hired?!"

Yuri and Judith looked at each other – seeming even more unimpressed than earlier but this time, Hisca joined in. She quickly answered, seeing the anticipation in the young guildsman's eyes. "You'll have to ask the magistrate and he usually sets a couple of short tests to see how and if you could be helpful to the force."

"What's 'the force'?"

"It's basically us and the guilds together as a whole. The full version of it is 'The Instarterrian Protection Force' but everyone just calls it 'the force'."

Karol's eyes shone and his pupils were twinkling towards the captain who seemed uncomfortable. Judith commented on the scene, accusing her boss of being 'creepy' before both of them once again started to squabble with each other as per usual. As the quarrel continued, Hisca found that this was the best time to lean beside Yuri and ask him the question that she had wanted to ask him since she had been reunited with him which was only half an hour at the minimum. Yuri saw this and carefully listened in.

"Have you – have you gone to see _her_ yet?" Hisca asked, trying to keep her voice down behind Karol's shouts and Judith's playful comments. Her friend only nodded in reply and his eyes once again, looked as if he was dead. "You don't have to do this alone, you know. Tell someone. Tell your friends…Only God knows how much I worry about you sometimes," she sighed.

At that exact moment, the captain's and the vigilante's eyes somehow seemed to lock on to each other. Although it was only for a second, it sent Hisca's mind in turmoil. It was then she heard a small murmur coming from her friend. "You are my friend, you idiot."

For the second time today, Hisca's face let in a crimson blush. "You're the idiot. Idiot."

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**Author's Note**: My computer actually deleted the whole chapter of this that I originally wrote so this is just something to redeem myself with. I rewrote this in just over a week, using the computers at school. And school has been hell so I tried to hurry writing this. On another note, I made a fanfiction blog on Tumblr where I usually write about what's going good, what's going bad and trivia (it's in a nice link on my profile!) so feel free to follow me on there :3

Thank you for the nice reviews as well as the follows and the favourites! I'll continue to try my best on the next chapter.

**Another Author's Note**: There is so much irony in this chapter. It's making me laugh. Sorry. xD


	6. Before my eyes

**Chapter 5 - _Before my eyes_**

Karol and Judith continued to bicker with each other whereas Yuri and Hisca stood watching them in pure and utter silence. This allowed both of them to think about the things that they held important.

Yuri's mind was yet again infected by thoughts of his father; the only difference from before being whether he should tell Hisca. Considering she already knew about his mother and his family situation though an accidental event within the first couple of weeks of their partnership as part of the Imperial Knights, he had nothing to lose. It was that incident that made them stick together throughout the three months that Yuri was actually in the Knights and it was that incident that neither of them could forget. He felt relieved that Hisca hadn't said anything to anyone and in another way, extremely grateful for staying with him and not judging him after finding out. What had he to lose?

Hisca on the other hand was still thinking about the confession of friendship concerning her and Yuri. Despite calling herself his 'friend', she had never actually known whether the feeling was mutual. She admitted to herself that they used to hang around together from time to time but that was usually because Flynn and Chastel were off elsewhere via the Captain's orders. She also knew that Yuri was very stubborn with these kinds of situations and wouldn't admit friendship if he didn't mean it. Then again, he had to learn to trust her once she found out the truth about him. It seemed like the game of trust that they had been playing had somehow began to widen into a forced game of friendship.

The daydreaming captain snapped into action as soon as the sounds of distant screaming met her ears. It kept on getting closer and closer and before the group knew it, crowds of people were running in the direction behind them, trying to get away as quickly as they could. It was only a couple of moments until the group stood alone in what began to look like a ghost town. Market stalls were deserted and children's toys lay on the ground abandoned. Brave Vesperia looked around them, not knowing what had just happened because of the quickness of it all. Hisca, in comparison, knew all too well what was happening and instinctively unsheathed her sword.

"It just had to have happened today…" her voice trailed off as she looked towards the group before turning and looking back into the distance. "You know that I mentioned that we take down criminals? It seems we've got one coming our way."

"Huh?!" Karol exclaimed, panicking after noticing that she was deadly serious.

"This – or something similar is usually the first test of when you ask to be hired. If you guys help me with this, I'll personally ask the magistrate to give you a chance," the captain said seriously, hoping that they would agree.

Yuri unsheathed his sword in reply, knowing that words by themselves would not be needed. Judith took out her spear, Repede jumped into action and Karol stood in his place, unsure of what to do.

"Come on; don't tell me you're scared, boss!" Yuri laughed, which sent Karol into denial as it always did, even in these kind of dangerous situations.

"_Several members of Vatra Eskadra just reported that they had caught a middle-aged man who has been suspected of committing mass murder in Zaphias."_

It was then that they saw the person they were looking for. A middle-aged man with short, white hair was walking towards the group, carrying a fairly small blood-covered knife. He wore a pair of thin-rimmed, silver glasses and his clothes were soiled in blood. He looked forward at the group which were now in his sight and grinned psychotically. This man was on a mission to kill.

"_The suspect then retaliated and escaped by heading north. Two members of the guild have sustained minor injuries."_

Hisca immediately jumped into action as she ran towards the man and while Yuri followed, trying to pull her back from the danger that literally stood in front of them. Finally, he grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him, which almost caused her to fall over. Nobody, at this point, knew what each other was thinking. Everyone seemed to conceal themselves, especially Yuri.

"What are you…What are you doing?!" shouted the captain, becoming annoyed.

"Trying to stop you from doing something stupid, you idiot!" he argued in reply after turning around to look at her, also becoming agitated.

She was speechless before she found her voice once again and continued to argue but this time, in a much hushed tone. "Well even if I were to do something stupid – it's my job! It's my duty! And if I die today, then I hope that you'd understand what those words mean!"

He stood with his mouth slightly open, completely speechless and his hair covered his eyes for a couple of moments. "Who do you think you are? Flynn?" he chuckled before returning to his seriousness. "Don't give me that. You know, I'm only trying to help you because I can pretty much tell that if you start this alone, it will end quickly. If you really want to start this, you're gonna be committing suicide."

Everyone in the group looked up at the purple-haired guildsman with widened eyes. Even Judith seemed shocked about his sudden change in behavior. This caused the other two members of Brave Vesperia to worry immensely in the short amount of seconds in which this occurred. While everyone looked at him with alive, widened eyes – his looked dull and dead.

There was no way that she could argue with him now, not when he was like this at least. She regretted bringing up the subject of death because she knew that he had lost almost everyone. However, she wanted to show him that she could live up to her title as captain. She wanted to show him that she could fight alone and win. But thinking about it, did she have any chance of defeating and capturing this lunatic? Yuri was right; the odds were close to zero.

Finally giving in, her eyes tracked the suspect in front of them as he slowly walked closer. But it wasn't just because of his previous comment; she had always given into him. It was the way that they just worked together. "Okay then. Give me an idea of what we're doing."

"I'll go ahead and you'll watch my back, then you, Judith, Karol and Repede can come in when I've worn him down. Strike him, knock him out or restrain him," he thought aloud, keeping his eyes on the murder suspect of who was still walking closer towards them. Yuri was on a mission and this had to be one of the most serious moments that his friends had ever witnessed.

"Wait…I know this attack strategy…You really loved it in the Niren Corps, didn't you?" Hisca said with a grin whereas her friend looked away in denial and embarrassment. Although he didn't want to admit it, it was true – he loved the 3 months that he spent as a knight. He loved working in the Niren Corps. He always got into trouble for fighting and was always stuck with Repede but he honestly did miss those days.

"Shut up," he replied, blushing slightly and yet his eyes were still stuck to the man who was honestly beginning to annoy him with his speed. Yuri quickly turned around, nodded at Hisca who was talking on her radio and ran forward, swinging his sword by his side.

The unidentified man saw the vigilante's determination, stopped his pacing and began to run towards him with his knife in the air, hoping that by some chance it might pierce him. Yuri dodged this but every time he swung his sword at his enemy, he dodged it or reflected it with his knife which never seemed as if it would break. Their weapons were reflected off each other, hits and slashes were exchanged and it seemed as if this were to take a long time and would come to nothing at all.

As the others were waiting for their friend to make his move and tire him, they had all noticed a vital error. While Yuri's swordsmanship was performed with skill, his footwork had started to become messy. Although the battle had only started 10 minutes previous, Yuri had started to become tired and back-up from the Imperial Knights had yet not arrived.

Hisca was growing impatient. Not only had her back-up not turned up, but her friend was also in danger. Once she had noticed his footwork, she knew how much she wanted to fight alongside him but she also knew that he would put it against her. He would put it against her because he had always relied on his pride. He did the same in the 3 months that he worked with her and it seemed to her as if he had never changed. If she jumped in and started to help him without him agreeing, he would feel as if his pride was snatched from him. Throughout the past 21 years of his life, his pride after all, was the only thing that remained with him unchanged.

"Hey…How's Yuri...Been recently?" Hisca asked, narrowing her eyes on her friend's battle.

"Well…He's been acting kind of weird," replied Karol, once again seeming rather confused.

"I see…What do you mean by 'weird'?"

"Well, he's been going off by himself a lot, he's barely eating, he's barely sleeping and he just seems to be in his own world a lot of the time."

"He really is an idiot, isn't he?" Hisca trailed off whereas Karol looked at her with his eyes full of questions which had no answer. The captain suddenly noticed this before trying to brush off what she had just said.

Judith just remained quiet. After all, it was obvious that Hisca was trying to cover up the same thing that Yuri had on his mind.

They all watched the vigilante grow tired in his battle as even his swordsmanship began to get messy and slow. He, however, denied that this was happening. He denied that he was obviously going to let down his friends. But, he knew. He knew that he was going to lose everything all over again. And this time, his pride would also be lost.

The unidentified man seemed to realize Yuri's weakness and went in for the kill. As he pushed the knife in his hand into the direction of his next possible victim, Yuri lost his balance and began to fall forwards – towards the knife. This was before Yuri was suddenly pushed backwards by someone who seemed to have run past him and knocked the vigilante's opponent unconscious. Not even Karol, Judith or Hisca saw the person at first and were rather shocked when they saw him. While Karol and Judith once again showed expressions of confusion, Hisca seemed to opt for anger as she hissed to herself, "now you've gone and done it, Randolf."

Yuri looked up to see another familiar figure standing in front of him. He had dark purple hair and sky-blue eyes. He wore a white, buttoned-up shirt, black trousers and a light brown material that seemed to serve as a cloak. This belt held two sheathes, complete with swords, with one on each side of his waist. The person before him didn't look old at all, but surprisingly young. And Yuri, who sat on the hard ground with wide eyes, knew who he was without even thinking. He was a figure of who haunted Yuri's childhood. A figure of who was adored by him and his mother, not to mention his mother's parents and siblings. He was a figure of who he wanted to forget but just couldn't. The person standing in front of him was his father.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you once again for the nice comments, follows and favourites! And yeah, I think I made it obvious that Randolf would be coming in at some point. And Randolf is my first ever developed original character (hopefully he's not got Mary Sue Syndrome – I tried) and it will (hopefully) get good in future chapters because I, like this, intend to mess with Yuri's feelings a bit more. Hehe.

Also I'm sorry about the bad fight. I'm not good at these kinds of things ;w;


	7. Give me a reason

**Chapter 6 – **_**Give me a reason**_

"Why are you…here?" Yuri's voice trailed off as he looked at his father who was standing right in front of him, looking down at him. The vigilante was still on the ground and seemed so much in shock that he was unable to lift himself. Instead of trying to get up, he just stared at the man in front of him with wide eyes, of who did the same. Instead, all the man replied with was an expression of relief and regret which was delivered through his sky-blue eyes.

While Karol seemed rather confused about the situation, it seemed as if Judith had already worked out who the 'mystery' man was and what was happening. Hisca on the other hand was unhappy about the situation that landed in front of her, even angry about it in fact. But she knew she couldn't do anything until the outcome was decided. If maybe Yuri accepted his father then maybe she could support him. Even if he didn't, she had no choice but to respect his decision.

"Answer me," the purple-haired custodian demanded, who finally got back on his two feet. He was in an emotional state that nobody had seen as of previous. His purple hair covered his facial expression which one could only guess.

"I could be asking you the same question but I suppose there's no helping in it," his father sighed before continuing. "I had to run into you one day, I mean –"

"Stop dodging the question," Yuri interrupted bluntly. His father blinked twice before surprising everyone around him by chuckling slightly.

"Excuse me for saying this but you really reminded me of your mother just now," his father admitted while scratching his head and smiling to himself. "Whenever she got angry and demanded answers, she would do it exactly like that. The same tone, the same facial expression…"

To this, there wasn't much that his son could say. Yuri just stared at him but this time he seemed different; as if the weight on his shoulders had been lifted and so had the weight on the atmosphere. By the mention of his mother, he suddenly felt as if he had been brought back to that one time in his life when he was truly happy. It was as if he was back in the days of his childhood before he lost everyone and everything.

"But answering your question, I run this place. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do something without screwing up – which with the exception of this city is everything. But, that's more out of a group effort than me just being the magistrate," the man that Yuri continued to watch replied, getting ready for the questions that his long-lost son was going to ask him.

"Why didn't you come back?" the vigilante said, his words barely getting past the frog in his throat. It was then that he did something that he hadn't done for years, something that he hadn't shown his friends and something that even he didn't expect. A tear fell from his left eye and rolled down his cheek.

His friends wanted to comfort him but even Karol, who didn't understand the situation, knew that it was something that Yuri had to do and he had to do it alone. He didn't even like to rely on his friends for anything, never mind just this once.

"Long story cut short; I never knew. I was never told anything until 6 months afterwards – and it was pretty useless to do anything then anyway. You would have run away by that point and it's not like I'd be allowed to even see Luka, never mind get custody of her. Well, I didn't even know Luka existed until I did some digging.

"I did a lot of things that I've learned to regret in that timeframe, you know. Instead of self-pitying and being a total idiot, maybe I should've came back earlier than I did. Maybe I still had a chance. But the past is the past and because of that, all we can do as humans is to learn not to repeat our regrets…Then again, I did a lot of things that I actually don't regret…" the magistrate explained, trailing off at the end.

"Even to this day, the Empire is still paying for the things that idiot over there doesn't regret – and it comes out of my pay-cheque," the captain interrupted, sending a narrowing gaze to the magistrate.

"Thank you very much for your unneeded comments there, Captain," Yuri's father sarcastically replied, glaring back over in her direction. "Getting back to the point, I understand it if you hate my guts. I actually don't blame you. The only request I have is for you to at least just hear me out."

_"Don-Don't blame your father, Yuri. Don't put this against him...Just believe in him. And watch over Luka… I-I'm sorry, Yuri. My...precious Yuri."_

His mother's last words continued to play in his head. Half of him wanted to forgive his father so that he could at least fulfill his mother's last wish but that wasn't the only reason. Even if he was 21 years old, Yuri still had a side to him which was that of a child. And it was that part of him that longed to have one of the only people of whom the vigilante had ever looked up to back in his life. However, this was a game that Yuri knew all too well. It was a game of pride.

After a couple of moments of silence, the purple-haired vigilante gave into himself and blushed. "Well, I suppose I don't have much of a choice now, do I? Also, just because I'm going to hear your reason doesn't necessarily mean that I'll forgive you."

"Thank you," his father grinned.

At that exact moment, Karol began to get inpatient. The tension-filled situation that had previously filled the atmosphere began to break into his patience and also with the mention of all of the family terms and the word 'magistrate' – the young guildsman really wanted to know. It was getting to the point where he was jumping up and down (much to the amusement of Hisca and Judith) just to try and control himself. But there was just so much he could take.

"Can someone tell me what is going on here?" Karol begged Yuri with wide eyes. "And who is he? And what is happening?!"

The vigilante and his long-lost father turned to face his friends at long last. Hisca and even Judith were still chuckling a little at the guildsman's begging. The magistrate nodded before bowing slightly.

"I'm the magistrate of Instarterra, Randolf Lyall-Quinne-Lowell," Randolf stopped speaking due to being in deep thought for a second but then as he was about to continue, Karol interrupted.

"Lowell?! By any chance – are you related to Yuri?! Is that what this all was about?!" Karol continued to brainstorm out loud and Randolf let out a small, yet uncomfortable sounding chuckle.

"I suppose you could put it that way. I'm…Yuri is my son," the magistrate replied, secretly horrified at Karol's enthusiasm to find out everything.

The young guildsman stood, completely unable to speak. However as he did so, he also seemed to be in both panic and excitement which once again amused Hisca and Judith.

"Miss Aiheap," Randolf started. "Do you mind arresting our murderous friend over there? I think he's starting to wake up."

The fiery-haired captain gave in to her employer and went over to the suspect whose consciousness was slowly returning. Before he could do anything, she grabbed a pair of handcuffs from her belt and put his hands behind his back before securing them. Hisca then repeated the chant that Yuri had been continuously hearing for several years of his life; "I'm arresting you on the suspicion of murder on behalf of The Empire and His Royal Highness, Emperor Ioder. You may not say anything but anything you do say will be regarded as evidence. Anything you do say will also affect your trial and judgment."

In the hour or so after the arrest, Brave Vesperia mainly just walked around the small city and talked with its people. Randolf had left them 'to get on with their own thing' and had headed home to fill in an incident report. And Hisca hadn't yet returned from wherever she went. The walk around the city however seemed to keep everyone but Yuri distracted. In his mind, he was in turmoil. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to just leave the city and he didn't want to come back but he couldn't. Something unknown to him was holding him back. It wasn't completely unknown to him, but he had forgot how relying on others felt.

"Hey, Yuri, doesn't this place look great?" Karol announced, full of enthusiasm as he ran over to look in shop windows and over stalls.

"…yeah," the vigilante mumbled, finding it hard to deny that this place did seem like a paradise. Everyone in this place made Instarterra seem so happy and peaceful, much like he wasn't used to back in Zaphias. However, Yuri seemed unable to think about anything but his father.

Although Yuri was suddenly labeled an 'orphan' back in Zaphias, even before he found out his father was even alive, he always claimed that he wasn't. He looked on the whole situation as if he had two families. One was his blood family with his mother and his father. The other was his 'friend family' of what he used to call it. His 'friend family' was built of the other orphans that wondered the Lower Quarter but they all referred to each other as siblings. It was how he first met Flynn and everyone else in the Lower Quarter. Even though they were all living with different people and the older children even on the streets, they still saw each other as family. However, someone would always get murdered or would die because of illness. Before anyone knew it, only Flynn, Yuri and a couple other children were left. Overtime, Yuri convinced himself that his family was a lie. He thought that everyone died because of him. He thought that his mother couldn't cope with him and his behaviour so her health deteriorated. He thought that his father just ran out on him and got killed in the process. That was never the case but it was never anything he talked about with anyone willingly. Overtime, he grew to hate the word 'family' and anything to do with it.

The first time he ever mentioned anything was to Hisca. While trying to wake him up for duty within his first week, she accidently witnessed the photo that he always kept underneath his pillow which was from his fifth birthday. It was the only photograph that he possessed of him together with his parents and it was his most important treasure. Having already told the lies that he had about his past, claiming that he never knew his parents; he had to explain it to her, whether or whether not she would understand. He literally begged her not to tell Flynn, which seemed very unlike him, but he didn't want him to know. After all, the only person he could fully trust was himself.

That is the reason why he hid so much from his friends, because he just couldn't trust them as much as he could trust himself. He thought that like every other person in his life, they would leave him because of the things that happened in this past and the things that had already been done. Although people would claim to see that Yuri seems like the type that prefers to be alone, he hated being alone. When he lived in Zaphias, nobody, with the exception of a few people, would dare to speak to him because of his reputation of being a 'rebel' against The Empire. Even though many people greeted him with smiles, many of them were forced out of fear. But now, everything that he hid about himself was coming out. His father that he hadn't seen in 15 years randomly appears before him, after he told his friends that his parents were long dead. The vigilante continued to panic frantically in his mind, hoping that nothing more would be revealed about his past. He left his past behind him and it was just coming back to haunt him. It was as if someone was making this happen. It was as if someone was controlling everything around Yuri but he couldn't pinpoint it. It was as if someone was trying to give him the confidence that he once and still secretly yearned for.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry about not updating in a while. School is hectic at the moment because I have until late June or July to complete every little piece of work. I'm also really sorry if this is a bad chapter. I did try but I've just been really distracted recently because family issues keep on popping up and it seems more frequently.

I think it might be chapter 8 now, but I'm planning for a chapter to pretty much centre around Hisca because I've been getting good feedback for when I've tried to develop her character and well…I want to develop her character more. It may possibly include more flashbacks, but that's just an idea I wanted to lay down.

Thank you for the lovely feedback, following and favourites!


	8. Old Friends

**Chapter 7 ****–**_**Old Friends**_

Brave Vesperia continued to walk around the small city of Instarterra. The crowds of people had returned and whereas Yuri and Judith seemed relatively calm about their surroundings, Karol couldn't control his excitement.

Yuri was stuck in deep thought and Judith wanted to leave him that way. After all, what good would come of the situation if he didn't think about the day's many events? What good would come of it if he made a decision that he would regret and wouldn't be forgiven for because he was in the wrong state of mind? He wasn't in a state of which he friends could leave him alone, not because they couldn't trust him but rather because they didn't want him doing something stupid. It was obvious that Flynn didn't know about Yuri's past 'life' because it was never brought up, even in angry conversation. It was also because of his untold past that his friends wanted to support him more than ever.

Despite being in deep thought and being unable to choose between his father and his pride, Yuri still continued to make an effort to smile and get on with things. In that aspect, he was exactly like his mother. He never used to moan about it, he just simply tried to put it to the back of his mind. There after all was a possibility that Karol would see that he was going to be uncomfortable working there, but Karol was one of those people that would only consider other's feelings after thinking about their own. But at the end of the day, Karol was only twelve years old. He was only a child who would get excited over almost every little thing.

"Yo," Hisca greeted, skipping from behind Yuri before she jumped on the spot in front of him.

"You're back?" Yuri questioned her presence, watching in amusement as the shock in her expression quickly turned to anger.

She didn't hesitate to retaliate, "You know, you're supposed to respect your Elders."

"You're one year older than me. Well, not even that."

"Shut it, Lowell."

The pair continued to bicker, coming back at each other with new points and arguments. The fellow members of Brave Vesperia had to admit that the only person that could match Yuri when it came to sarcasm and bickering, of whom they knew of was Hisca and they hadn't even known her for a day. But, it seemed that while the captain was present, the aura surrounded Yuri changed. He seemed a lot happier whenever she was present and even after what had just occurred; it was as if it hadn't happened.

After around 10 minutes of continuous bickering and after breaking Karol and Judith's apparent record, Hisca finally brought it to a close, "Anyway, I mentioned what happened earlier to a couple of the guild leaders on my way here and for some reason the leader of Vatra Eskadra seems really interested in you guys."

"Vatra Eskadra? You mean the artillery guild?" asked Karol, to whom Hisca nodded in reply.

"Yeah…She also mentioned that she knew Yuri from when they were kids…or something like that at least," Hisca replied, refining her ponytail.

After hearing Hisca's conveyed message, Yuri began to doubt it immensely in his mind. After all, every child he became close to during his childhood other than Flynn had died or had mysteriously disappeared. However, before he could reply, Karol had to be heard.

"'Her'? You mean Vatra Eskadra's leader is a woman?" the young guildsman questioned, once again looking at Hisca with wide and begging eyes.

To which the captain nodded uncomfortably before muttering, "Yeah."

"Do we really have to?" complained the vigilante, much to the young guildsman's disagreement.

Hisca however replied by hitting him around the head. "Come on, Lowell, lighten up!" the captain exclaimed as the custodian put his hands on his head, trying to hold back the pain that just struck the back of his head.

As usual, Judith continued to assess the situation in her usual quiet manner.

"Long time no see, Yurichi!" an unknown female voice shouted from behind the huddled group. Karol, Judith looked back curiously whereas Hisca smirked at Yuri who in response, sighed heavily and hung his head. There was only one person who gave out nicknames like that. And for her to still be alive, it wasn't much of a shock.

Behind them stood a woman who seemed just older than both Yuri and Hisca. She had long black hair which went down to the middle of her back, a bandage over her left eye and some of her hair was entangled within the bandage. She dressed fairly normally as she wore a grey vest top, a pair of denim shorts and trainers that went up to her knees. Though, the belt that she wore held several weapons; two pistols and two sheathed daggers. One of each was located at either side of her waist.

"You really have grown up nicely, haven't you?" she complimented as she walked up to face her former friend. "Seeing what you've grown up to look like, it makes me wonder how Pretty Boy is doing."

The woman ran up to the huddled group and stood before them. Karol's eyes turned into saucers with admiration, Judith just smiled as gently as usual, Hisca continued to snigger at Yuri's expression and Yuri just let out a deep sigh.

"Which reminds me, how _is_ Pretty Boy?" asked the leader of the other guild, pressing Yuri for answers.

Yuri just once again, sighed deeply. "He's fine, I guess. He became commandant not so long ago."

The guild leader's face turned into one of shock before she gave out a small smile, "Wow. So he actually did stick with the knight thing, then? Unlike a certain person we both know. I wouldn't really ask, but you were the only one who could actually make him talk."

"Don't you think that you should introduce yourself?" asked Hisca, gesturing over to an excited Karol, a calm Judith and a strangely calm Repede.

"Okay, okay, but don't expect any formal crap from me," the leader scratched the back of her head. "I'm the leader and founder of Vatra Eskadra. The name's Ashkae. Spelt A-S-H-K-A-E but pronounced like 'Ashka'. Nice to meet 'cha."

The captain pulled herself though her attack of sniggering before interrupting, "Ashkae is also the Instarterrian representative of the Union."

"I'm Karol Capel, the leader and co-founder of Brave Vesperia!" the young guildsman exclaimed, raising his hand to grab attention and being extremely confident in his statement.

Ashkae folded her arms and looked back at the 12 year old to praise him, "So I've heard. You haven't even been together for a year as a guild and you guys have already gained this much fame in the Union. You should be proud of yourself and your members."

"Actually…Speaking of members…Where are Lev and Al? Aren't they supposed to be with you?" Hisca interrupted again, but this time her voice was underlined with an urgent tone.

Ashkae nervously laughed before sprinting off, shouting, "If anyone asks, I wasn't here" behind her. The captain sighed deeply before once again turning to the group.

"Anyway, I'm off duty for the rest of the day so I'll show around a bit more if you like," she offered, before looking at Karol to find that she didn't need a spoken reply for an answer.

* * *

"This – This can't be happening, can it?" Hisca stuttered as she backed away from the innkeeper's counter. "It's not even tourist season! That's long gone!"

The elderly innkeeper smiled softly before replying, "I'm sorry, Captain. If you told us earlier, we might have been able to reserve a room but they've all been taken by some guild folk that were with Miss Ashkae…"

"Damn that Ashkae," the captain growled before returning to her prior self. "It's okay, it's not like you could help it. Thank you anyway."

She walked out, cursing underneath her breath. There was one other option for them to stay overnight but it wasn't at all recommended, especially for Yuri. She looked up to find the group looking at her as she exited the Inn.

"It turns out that, erm, all the rooms were taken," Hisca said quietly, so quietly that her voice barely made it above a whisper.

"Huh?!" Karol exclaimed, accidently pushing into Judith as he did so. To this, Judith placed her foot in front of her boss without him noticing, causing him to trip and fall onto the cold, concrete floor. After just a day of Hisca meeting him, for him to fall over in such circumstances, it seemed too typical.

"And it's too dangerous to even go outside the barrier apparently at this time. So Captain Aiheap, what do you suppose we do now?" Yuri asked his friend in his usual sarcastic manner. Hisca rolled her eyes.

"Well. There is one option but I know for a fact that you won't be comfortable with it," the captain began, becoming more nervous of how Yuri was going to react.

However her friend knew what she was going to say, "It's to stay with _him_, isn't it?"

"That's what it's come down to anyway. If you really don't want to go, I can try and set you up somewhere but even if you don't go, Karol and Judith have to stay somewhere. And you're going to wait outside because I don't want any trouble kicking off," hearing Hisca's answer, Yuri looked at her and gave her a silent 'thank you'. He wasn't ready to even begin speaking to his long-lost father, never mind be under the same roof as him. Both he and Hisca knew that he needed some time to think about this day. It had been hectic and emotionally straining for Yuri, not to mention the other members of Brave Vesperia.

* * *

After Hisca, Yuri and Repede went to see off Karol and Judith, the trio walked the now darkened and deserted streets. The bright moonlight shone down on them as they continued to walk, only being able to hear the footsteps which notified them both of the other's presence. Nothing was said nor was any other sound made. Even the vigilante's loyal canine companion upheld the silence as he trotted alongside his master. However, neither Hisca nor Yuri wanted to break the silence that even in less than five minutes had already seemed like forever.

During this silence, it was as if both people had been talking. It was as if both people were having a long, emotive conversation but without saying a word and without making any kind of contact. But that didn't stop it feeling like the best and most supportive conversation either of them had ever had.

The captain finally broke the clear and soundless atmosphere that surrounded them and stopped in her tracks, "Now that I think of it, I can't think of anyone to put you up so I guess I have no choice…"

The vigilante stopped as soon as he reached where his friend was standing, "What do you mean?"

"You're gonna have to come home with me. But you're staying on the couch. You hear that?" Hisca replied with a crimson blush which seemed as deep as her hair. "Don't misunderstand me when I say this, okay?"

Yuri also blushed in response but turned away, muttering, "Thanks."

The rest of the night flew by. It was if nothing displeasing had occurred previously within the day. Before they all knew it, the captain's small apartment was filled with soft breathing of two people and the occasional canine snore. As the trio caught up on their well-deserved rest for such a hectic day, dreams of the night captivated them, not allowing them to leave.

Yuri's dream consisted of a woman in a blank setting. He saw a woman with wavy brown hair which went down to her chest and purple eyes. She was saying something in a voice he once knew. But, the thing that she was trying to say couldn't reach him. All he could hear was an unclear echo. It was as if a glass wall was separating them and her voice was bouncing off it but her voice was unable to be properly heard. It was like an emotional nightmare – but it was only a dream.

* * *

**Author's Note:** As usual, thank you for all your support!

I was planning to end this chapter at a different note with a different ending but considering I couldn't really be bothered to write 3 more pages of awkward small talk, I've changed the time line a little. But it still is generally the same and I'm still doing my Hisca chapter next so everything is going to plan (yay) but this way I feel that it will reduce the amount I have to write at once and I can make the next chapter more effective (more yay!)

Also yay for ending on a juxtaposition!


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